• Change to varietal labeling laws? When is a zinfandel not a zinfandel? When it's used in a field blend, thanks to federal labeling laws meant to protect the consumer. In this case, notes the Los Angeles Times, consumers have been led to believe that single varietal wines are better than blends -- which obviously isn't true, as anyone in Bordeaux will tell you.
• Scammers hit wine investors: Scotland Yard detectives have arrested six people in connection with an Australian wine investment scam. Decanter reports that victims handed over thousands of pounds to the company to buy well-known Aussie wines for the investors, bu that the company didn't own the wines and had no intention of buying them. The detective in charge of the case said these kinds of scams are becoming increasingly popular. Obviously, they weren't heeding the Wine Curmudgeon's advice: Invest in something that you can't drink, which takes all the fun out of drinking.
• Chilean wines to cost more? The Chilean earthquake did more than destroy some of the country's grape harvest. It wrecked roads and infrastructure, making it more difficult for the country's products -- including wine -- to get to market. That, says analysts, may well increase the price of wine.
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